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Sagamore Mill Boys: 1911

August 1911. Fall River, Mass. "Group containing the following boys who work in the Sagamore Manufacturing Co. Manuel Correira, 144 Cove Street, works in spinning room on top floor. Said, 'I only help mother.' He was apparently 13 or 14. Manuel Oliver, George Street, works in card room. Seems surely only 12 years old. Manuel Benevirdes, 30 Otto Street, works on top floor. Manuel Rage, 51 George Street, works in spinning room on fourth floor. John Oliver, 93 Slater Street, works in spinning room on third floor. Joseph Ariuda, 23 Shorr Street, works in spinning room on third floor." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.

Joe Manning again. Here's an update. Just talked to Joseph Arruda's grandson. He didn't know about the photograph. I am mailing it to him. He thinks he will be able to identify which boy in the photo is Joseph. He remembered his grandfather well, and told me, "He was a great man in my opinion." By the way, Joseph named one of his sons Manuel!

This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I just tracked down the 90-year-old son of one of the boys in the photo, Joseph Ariuda (actually his name was Arruda). I haven't called the son yet. But Hine did not identify who was who in the caption. So I hope that someone in the Arruda family will recognize him. This could be interesting.

Apparently the trendy name among Hispanic parents at the turn of the century was "Manuel"!

The first thing I thought was that the kid at far right looked like he was texting, or some such, too. These boys had probably never even seen a telephone, let alone communicated with their friends any way but face to face, and they had very little time even to do that! I wish I could put my teenaged kids in a time capsule and make them spend a day or two doing what these boys did all the time.

Nearly every photo of this type from this era shows the boys doing their best to look serious or tough. You wonder if it had more to do with wanting to looking grown up or more about not letting their guard down.

I know the child labor movement was a platform that had to be dealt with due to abuse, etc. However, these kids were getting a different kind of education, learning responsibility, what it took to earn money, following rules, how to cooperate and work with others, the ability to help their families improve. Perhaps they couldn't spell and/or read perfectly, etc. but neither were they out in the streets in gangs, planning drive-bys and home invasions. I notice these days when youngsters get in serious trouble, their elders say "they need someplace to go and something to do." The kids pictured here were helping, not hurting anyone. Yes, I am a cranky old curmudgeon, wanna make somethin' out of it?

Love the attitude of that the kid with the crossed arms. He may not be the oldest or biggest, but he must be one of the leaders, what with the attitude, and better clothes, he seems to be saying "these are my boys, so back off!"

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